Expanded masonry



Sept. 1, 1936. I R POWELL 2,052,842

EXPANDING MASONRY Original Filed June 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i s l7 v0 OI o n 0 o c 0 oil 0' v INVENTOR.

Sept. 1, 1936. E. R. POWELL EXPANDING MASONRY' Original Filed June 29,1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

@W/ Z2 M Patented Sept. 1, I936 2,052,842 EXPANDED MASONRY Edward R.Powell, Alexandria, Ind.

Application June 29, 1932,-Serial N0. 619,8 15

Renewed July 20, 1935 20 Claims.

invention relates to a form of masonry which uses expanded buildingunits as theprincipal material.. 7 I

It relates particularly to a form of masonry a structure in whichlight-weight ceramic building than common masonry. In this form ofmasonry,

wall and acts as only a Windbreak will, in genin general,

highest strength. Other functions in the structure maybe performed byunits of intermediate strength or density.

Anotherfeature of the invention consists in nent decorative faces andbetter heat insulating :23. and sound absorbing properties.

is to provide a structure which has minimum weight for its strength,considering the class of materials which it employs.

The full nature-of the invention will be underr stood more readilybyreference to the accompanying drawings and the following'descriptionand claims.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is an elevation of part of a building whichembodies the invention, thenature of the mason-- ry in various partsbeing illustrated by symbols which will be explained hereinafter.

Fig. 2'is an enlarged sectional detail of one means of anchoringmasonry. V

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail of a modi-r fied form or anchorfor tie rod or reinforcing rod.

a reinforcing rod in the Another object Fig.4 i sa-sectionof parti'ofthe structure of Fig. 1 taken on the plane 44and in the direc-: tion ofthe arrows. r

Fig. 5 is a section of part of the structure of Fig. 1 taken in theplane 5-5 and inthe direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a slab such as a floor or roof slabbuilt of reinforced variably ex-, panded masonry. i

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section taken on line l -1 of Fig. 6 in eitherdirection. 10

In the drawings, the areas rendered in dots only are surfaces ofmaterial of maximum strength; those rendered in relatively large cir-.cles only are the weaker and usually much lighter materials. termediatestrength or density are indicated by both dots and circles. 7

These expanded building units may be made by expanding clayin thepyro-plastic condition as described in my application Serial No. 522,2722 now Patent No. 1,963,029, or expanded in wet than the portion 32.Another portion "5 is lighter than M. The panel walls I3 are all aboutthe same density because they carry only themselves between stories. Atthe top of portion iii, the column portion The rods l9 and 20 take thetension on the lower In Fig.2, the relatively heavy rod 33 is embed- 5Qdad in the masonry. It is embedded more particularly in the. mortarwhich is thebonding material between the units. The mortar is ordinarilylime, Portland cement and sand. For a very hard mortar, two parts ofPortland cement may 55;

The surfaces of materials of in- 15 I4 is lighter joins a typical beamportion. 40

" the rods.

be used to one of lime and nine parts of sand. The proportion of sandwill vary with the nature of the sand particle size and how well itpacks. Both the sand and the water are usually proportioned on the jobto give a mortar of proper working consistency. The mortar may be allPortland cement, it may be gypsum plaster, magnesium oxy-chloridecement, asphaltic mixtures or any other material suitable for bondingbuilding units provided the service which is involved permits the use ofthese materials.

The rod may be laid in same in the units, it may be laid by notching theunits, or the mortar joints may simply be made thick enough to enclosethe rods. In any case the final structure consists of units firmlybonded together by means of a mortar'in which a rod is at least partlyembedded. The rod 33 is preferably rolled with rough or cleated surfacessothat it will be firmly gripped by the hardened mortar. The rod. 33 isprovided with a nut 23 which bearsagainst the plate 22 so as todistribute the'load over enough of the masonry to avoid local crushing.The platemay be slightly dished or channeled to provide a little spring.This tends to prevent crushing and will take up a little difference inexpansion between the rod and the rest of the" structure. The units 29adjacent to the plate are shown of intermediatestrength.

Fig. 3 shows another form of anchor in which the rod 25-has a hookedportion 3| which connectswith a heavier cross rod 24. The rod 25ispreferably a commercial reinforcing rod such as used for concretereinforcement. It is embedded in the bonding material. The units in Fig.3

are shown of intermediate strength also.

The expanded ceramic material'wh'ich has been developed for such servicemay'have nearly as much strength as solid'masonry and still beconsiderably lighter. The expanded material usually has much betterbonding properties than regular brick or hollow as a whole mayconventional type.

tile so that'the structure The better bonding proper- :ties of theexpanded units resultprincipally from the enclosed gas-formed cellswhich are partly exposed on the surface so that trates an appreciabledistance into the unitsin places and keys itself thereto.

Fig. 4 shows a portion of the beam and adjacent panel walls. The portionof the beam shown is under mainly shearing stress which the intermediatestrength material will stand. It is under some compression stress alsofrom the tension of In Fig. 5, however,;which is near the middle of thespan, the upper is under considerable compression stress while the lowerportion is under tension. 'Ihe'rods, of j I that the masonry proper isunder very little stress. Lighter mate-.

course take the tension so rial is therefore used in this portion of thebeam. The units of which the beam is built are shown. specially designedto interlock and provide-channels for the rods l9 and 20.

standardized size and shape units by using a little more mortar andbonding it well to the units. Most water-mixed mortarswill bond betterto the units if the unit surface is wet. An additional load which may becarried by the beam is shown in dotted lines. have a decorative coatingof some sort,

Fig. 6 shows a slabsuitable for a. floor or roo The'units 34 areunderstood to be of different a channel provided for this case, the rodsof strength,- the density be stronger than masonry of the mortar penepart of the beam 7 There is asloping sill 26. Similar results may beobtained by using The innerwall I! may" That is they have a variation inthe degree or character of the expansion within themselves. For example,the upper part may reach a maximum density of '75 lb. per cu. it. whilethe lower part may have a minimum density of 25 lb. per cu. ft. Theunits as shown are provided with channels 36 which admit the reinforcingrods 38. The rods 38 terminate preferably in plates 31 which may bewelded on orheld with nuts or threads. For large areas, the slabs aresometimes supported on 1 steel T-irons 35 or other structural members.In may be secured to the web of the T-iron instead of to separateplates.

'A sub-floor of Portland cement mortar may be poured-on the slab and acomposition floor laid 1 over this. For roof service a built up roofingmay be used and composition service floor over the roofing. Thesub-fioor 39 should be well bonded tothe units 34, wetting the units ifnecessary. The lower surface of the units 34 may be decorative and be ofopen structure so as -to have acoustical properties; The constructionofa slab" of this sort usually requires false work which should beleft'in place until the mortar has set andhardened. Thefalse work-may,-if desired be supported from the-T-irons V P r .In general thepyro-plastically expanded ceramic material permits lower 'densitywithout sacrifice of strength. That is brick of practically fullstrength'have been made by pyro-plastic expan- 3 sion at 35 lb. per cu.ftadensity. At a sacrif ce may be as low as 18 to 29 lbs-per cu. ft. Thewet plasticmaterial usually has less strength for a given density but iseasier to produce by certain processes in special shapes 3 and textures.Typical densities for the various parts of-the structure of Fig. 1 forthe wet expanded materialmay beas follows: Part 11, lbs. per cu.ft.;'part 32, '75 lbs; part 14, 65 lbs; part 16, 55 lbs.; part 13, 35lbs.

Expanded'masonrymay be of constant density or it may not be reinforced.While a specific group of structures is illustrated, it should beunderstood that any masonry structure where the listed advantagesaredesired may ordinarily be designed o n thesarne principles. In general,the invention'is involved in any structure in which the density of thestructural units is reduced in places to lighten the structure and.improve its properties, the difierence in density being secured bycellular expansion of the material. The above examples should thereforebe taken' as illustrations and not in a limiting-sense. r Structuralceramic material is intended to include preformed structures which areformed by theapplication of heat to clayey material of plentiful grade.These mayor maynot be of refractory type but must be loadbearing'wher'e" loads are imposed and weather resistant where exposed.Usually refractory materials are resistant tohigh temperatures but, ifexpanded atall, will not carry loads or stand the weather. The inventionclaimed is: I V 5 1. In a composite building. structure, the com-'bination. of a relatively hard and'relatively high. bonding strengthmortar in continuous frame work arrangement, relativelyhightensilestrength; reenforcing material imbedded in said frame work,and a pluralityof independent structural units united by said frame workand each includ-i 7 pendent,.cellular expanded'masonry units, jointingmortar in unitary frame work arrangement for securing the unitstogether, reenforcing meansifor-the wallstructure and included in thejointing mortar, substantially all units .having a cellular portion ofrelatively high thermal insulating value, certain of said cellularmasonry units having another and relatively denser portion resistant tohigh compression stress, said units being so arranged in said wall thatthe denser portionwill be positioned to prevent rupture inthe cellularportions as a wall when subjected to high compression strength, thethermal resistance of the entire wall being approximately the same asthat of the individual units when measured inthe same direction. 1

3; A structure as defined by claim 2, characterized by each cellularunit having its cellular portion provided-with an open type surface for.acoustical lating thermal resistance.

4. A building structure of expanded character,

including in. combination a plurality of building units each of expandedcharacter and having relatively low mechanical strength and high thermalinsulating value compared with standard building units of like dimensionand like original material, said expanded units being arranged inunitary formation, relatively hard bonding material between said unitsfor securing the same in said formation and constituting a unitary framework, and relatively high tensile strength reenforcing material imbeddedin the bonding material frame work, said relatively hard bondingmaterial having a relatively high bonding relation with the lowmechanical strength units to supplement the strength of said units whenin structural formation.

5. A reenforced masonry structure adapted to resist bending moment whichincludes a plurality V of cellular expanded units, mortar for securinginsulating value, said last mentioned portion not being subjected to theprincipal compressive stresses, said units being arranged in thestructural formation so that the said portions have the accommodationvalue specified, and reenforcing means for the structure and enclosed inthe mortar frame work.

6. A multiple course reinforced masonry structure adapted to resistbending moment which includes a plurality of cellular expanded unitsarranged in courses, mortar for securing said units together, saidmortar forming a unitary frame work for said units and having relativelyhigh strength and hard bonding power with said units, most of the unitsin different courses having different degrees of expansion, some unitshaving a relatively great crushing strength for accommodating principalcompressive stresses, and other units having less crushing strength andof higher thermal insulating value, said last mentioned units not beingsubject to the principal compressive stresses, said units being arrangedin the structural formation so that the said units have theaccommodation value specipurposes in addition to the insufied, andreinforcing means for the structure and enclosed in the mortar framework.

'7. A structure as defined by claim 1 which has, when 'subjected tobending moment, certain regions of high compressive stress and certainregions of high tensile stress, the high compressive stress regionsconsisting of the hard mortar and the dense portions of the units; and.the high tensile stress portions consisting of the hard mortar, and thereinforcement of the cellular portions of the units.

8. In a composite building structure, the combination of a relativelyhard and relatively high bonding strength mortarin continuous frame workarrangement, relatively high tensile strength reinforcing materialimbedded in said frame work, and a plurality of independent structuralunits united by said frame woik'and each including a portion structurebeing approximately equal tothat of the individual units when measuredin the same direction.

9. A ceramic structural unit comprising a true ceramic material ofrelatively high density and a light weight cellular layer inseparablyunited with one of the surfaces of said body portion, the relativethickness of the dense and cellular bodies being varied in accordancewith conditions or service to which the material is placed, saidcellular material being of substantially uniform composition throughoutand characterized by the inclusion throughout its body of separate andclosed cells separated by thin cell walls of true ceramic material.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a structural unit comprising a bodyportion of relatively high density, and a heat insulating portioncomposed of a cellular argillaceous material inseparably united withsaid body portion, said cellular material comprising a heat-treatedargillaceous body of substantially uniform composition throughout and ofpredetermined shape and dimensions, and characterized by the inclusionthroughout its body of separate and closed cells separated by relativelythin cell walls of firedclay material having in its unit form a densityof less than one-half the density of the firstnamed body portion of saidunit.

11. A ceramic or refractory unit comprising a structural material ofrelatively high density and a light weight cellular layer inseparablyunited with one of the surfaces of said refractory material of highdensity, the relative thickness of the dense and cellular materialsbeing varied in accordance with conditions of service to which saidcellular material being of substantially uniform composition throughoutand characterized by the inclusion throughout its body of separate andclosed cells separated by thin cell walls of true ceramic material.

12. A ceramic structure comprising a ceramic material of relatively highdensity and an integrally attached adjoining layer of heat-insulatingceramic material, said heat-insulating material being of substantiallyuniform composition and characterized by inclusion throughout its bodyof separate cells separated by thin walls of ceramic material.

13. As a new article of manufacture, a structural unit comprising a bodyportion of relatively high density, and a heat insulating portioncomposed of a cellular material inseparably united with said bodyportion, said cellular material comprising a body of substantiallyuniform comof relatively high thermal resistance, the thermal resistanceof the whole positionthroughout and of predetermined shape anddimensions, and characterized by the inclusion throughout its body ofseparate-and closed cells separated by relatively thin cell walls ofmaterial havingin its unit form a density of less than one-half thedensity of the first-named body portion-of said unit. 1

14. As a new article of manufacture," 'a structural ceramic unitcomprising a body portion'of relatively high density, portion composedof a cellularmaterial inseparably united with said body portion, saidcellular material comprising a body of substantially uni-, formcomposition throughout and'of predeter- 'mined shape and'dimensions, andcharacterized by the inclusion throughout its body of separate andclosed cells separated by relatively thin cell walls-of material havingin its-unit form a densityof less than one-half the density of thefirstnamed body portion of said unit.

-15. A structural unit as defined characterized by the inseparable unionbeing an and a heat insulating by claim 9,?

integral formationwith-the remainder of the unit, :1: t

1*163Awstructuralsunit as defined by claim 10, characterized thy: theinseparable union being an integral" formation' with. the remainder ofthe '5 unitpi :1, 1:, Y 7

17;- A structural unit as defined by claim 11,- characterized by-:theinseparable union being an integralf-formation with the remainder of thel 18. A structuralunit as defined by claim 12', characterized by theinseparable union being an integral formation :With the remainder of the19'." A 'structura1 unit as: defined by claim 13, characterized by theinseparable union being an integral formation with thexremainder of the20.-A- structural unitlas defined by claim 14,

characterized by the-inseparable union being an 203- integral formationwith:the remainder of the unitprr 1 EDWARD R. POWELL

